Overhead swinging door



June 19, 1951 J. A. MOFARLANE OVERHEAD SWINGING DOOR Filed Sept. 17, 1945 W o J A INVENTOR: [H.[Zcfz/am HTIV/P/YEY.

Patented June 19, 1.951

UNI 'FE'IJ' S 'FATES PATENT OFFICE.

John A. McFarlane, Bellflower, Calif.

Application September 17, 1945, Serial No. 616,718

This application relates to doors and particularly to overhead swinging doors such as now widely used at the entrance to garages and in other vehicle passages into buildings.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive door mechanism of this type. It is a further object to provide a door the weight of which, when in elevated open position, overhangs into the building, thereby retaining the door more securely in this position and so that it will not be blown down into closed position by wind pressure, a problem which has been found quite serious in doors of this type.

Most doors of the type here considered require from fifteen to eighteen inches of head room in order to swing freely into open position. It is a further object of this invention to provide a door which requires only a couple of inches headroom and which can be adjusted to operate substantially without any headroom whatsoever.

To this end, the device of the invention consists of the combinations hereinafter fully described, and drawings are hereto annexed in which a preferred form to the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a door mechanism embodying the invention, and it is taken substantially through the center of the door, which is shown in elevated open position;

Fig. 2 is a substantially corresponding view of the door in closed position, as viewed from the near side, and with the door framing broken away for the sake of clearness; and

Fig. 3 is a rear view of one side of the door mechanism as it appears from within a garage or other building served thereby.

The numeral l denotes the door framing of a building, such as a garage, and 2 is the door panel hung therein. Levers 3 are pivotally fixed, one on each side of the door frame, on brackets 4, 4 and are at one end journaled on reinforcing rails 5 of the door panel. A spring 6 extends from the other end of each lever to fastening elements 1 at the bottom of the door frame.

The lever 3 is the main operating member of the mechanism, and it supports the outer end of the door in elevated position. It is to be noted that the lever and spring are substantially on dead centers when the door is closed and that, for this reason, no tendency is present on the part of the spring to pull the door open. A toggle joint comprising pivotally joined links 8 and 9 extends from the brackets 4, 4 of the door frame to each rail 5, and an arm I! connects 2 Claims. (CI. 20-16) 2 each link 9 with a bracket l2 on each side of the door frame.

In viewing the present device in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 it is noticed that the panel 2 overhangs considerably inwardly and that this overhanging weight is sufficient to overcome any wind pressure tending to lift the panel and to carry it forward. But a very light downward pressure on the front edge of the door, or downward pull on the cord l3, suffices to initiate closing movement thereof.

It is furthermore to be noted that the movement of the present device, from the position indicated in Fig. 2, commences on a very low curve 14, which flattens out as it approaches the end and terminates in a short descending curve I 6. The curve I4 is at no time higher than a few inches and can be modified by adjusting the pivotal joint of the arm I I, lengthwise on the toggle link 9 and correspondingly changing the position of the brackets l2 vertically. Illustrative of such adjustment, this link is shown made with a series of perforations 9 The closer the pivotal joint of the arm H is to the pivotal joint l8, the flatter and more uniform will be the curve described by the upper corner of the door in opening and closing.

While the drawings illustrate the invention, modifications within the scope of the appended claims may be effected without departing from the principle of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a door frame, of a door panel, a lever mounted on each side of the frame above the center thereof, one end of said lever being pivotally secured to the panel nearer the bottom thereof, a spring extending from the bottom of the frame to the other end of each lever, said springs urging rotation thereof to elevate the door panel into open position, a link extending from the central pivot of each lever, a link pivotally secured to the end of each of the first named links and extending to the panel at each side thereof near the center thereof, each of said second links having a row of perforations intermediate its length, an arm pivotally secured to each side of the frame near the top thereof, and adjustable means for pivotally joining the outer end of said arms to any one of the perforations of the links extending to the door panel.

2. The combination with a door frame and a 7 door panel, of a door operating mechanism ineluding a bracket on the frame above the center of the door opening, a lever pivotally hung on 3 said bracket, one end of the lever being pivotally secured to the door panel below the center thereof, a spring extending from the bottom of the frame to the other end of said lever, said spring urging swinging movement of the lever to elevate the door panel into open position, pivotally joined links extending from the fulcrum of the lever to the panel near the center thereof, a bracket near the top of the frame, and an arm pivotally secured to said bracket and pivotally 10 joined to the link extending from-the door panel at a point intermediate the ends thereof.

' JOHN A. MoFARLANE.

4 I REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,162,381 Guth June 13, 1939 2,244,182 Allen June 3, 1941 2,327,026 Deuring Aug. 17, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 115,569 Australia July 1'7, 1942 635,412 Germany Oct. 4, 1935 

